Thank you for this post, Althouse. This is why I read your blog. ....this, after the post about the Virginia election, with the contemptible comments, so much twisted, choking scorn, just a fundamental lack of human decency and respect on both sides... Well, thank you, this lifted me back up. This is how I choose to be in the world. Now I will head off for my school day with a caring heart.

It's hard to imagine how difficult a life some people lead. About 15 years ago, I shared Thanksgiving dinner at a friend's house. He'd also invited a Filipino man named Francis who was similar to Joseph Merrick, the Elephant Man. Most likely, he had neurofibromatosis or perhaps Proteus syndrome. He was a quiet but nice man who'd led a very hard life. I never saw him again and don't know what became of him.

The picture is lovely and very moving, yes. I am a devout Catholic and I find it fascinating that so many are acting as if Francis is doing things that 1) no pope has done before him and 2) that no person has done before him. This is one picture. What about all the parents and families that care for loved ones for years and years, with devotion and self-sacrifice? What about all the doctors and nurses and other caregivers? Yes, they get paid to care for patients, but many of them go the extra mile and love their patients. Those people impress me because they show this love for years, not just a picture here and there. And they get no attention for it, no special recognition or accolades.